Bread and Butter
by thelinksthatconnectus
Summary: Love and tenderness can still be found, even in a cruel and crumbling world. A collection of Mikasha one-shots/drabbles, often involving AUs.
1. Made to Fall - The Hunger Games AU

No one breathed for a moment, and no sound could be heard. All of the Shingashima District had silenced.

A lump had formed in Sasha's throat, and her eyes were frozen to the small stage in the center of town. Her heart thrashed inside her chest, and sweat had found it's way all over her body.

The man on stage, a blond man who had said his name was Erwin, dug around in the girls' bowl, looking happily ignorant of the fear and worry around him. Inside the bowl was slip after slip after slip of paper, and one had her name on it.

She bit her lip. After all, what was the probability that she would have her name pulled? There were hundreds of other girls in the district who were of reaping age. Her teacher had mentioned probabilities in a math lesson once, and though Sasha had only been half awake, she had listened to her teacher explain how the larger something was, the less likely that someone would win.

Or, in Sasha's case, lose.

Erwin smiled, though Sasha could not return it. He pulled a piece of paper out of the bowl and held it up.

Sasha's heart skipped a beat when he read it.

If it weren't for the weight of everyone's eyes on her then she would have thought that she was just having a nightmare, the usual pre-reaping stress other kids her age had.

But no, it was real.

"Sasha Braus," Erwin repeated, the smile fading from his face.

Sasha forced herself forward, the crowds of students parting to let her through. Some had stopped looking to her and instead looked at the ground, as if they were in shame.

The lump in Sasha's throat only tightened further. Though she had been hungry earlier, now she felt as though she would vomit up her breakfast at any time.

It had been so unlikely, Sasha thought, jumping back to what her teacher had said. How could it still happen?

She could only imagined her father's horrified face back at home. He was probably just as shocked as her, wondering what he could have done to deserve this. Already, he had lost his wife and youngest son due to a lack of food. Now, his daughter would be gone too.

I'm sorry, Sasha thought. I'm really, really sorry, Papa.

She couldn't be sure if she would be able to tell him that out loud. How much longer until she was shipped off to compete in The Hunger Games?

The stage spotlights were bright, as if to make up for the cloudy sky.

"I am so glad to see you." He smiled, one of those fake Capitol smiles, and then reached into the next bowl.

Who would it be? Hopefully not her best friend, Connie, with whom she had always played tricks and joked around with. He had been the closest that Sasha had to a brother when her little brother starved. Or could it be Marco, a nice boy in her class who always found ways to compliment everyone? He was too good to be lost. Or what about Reiner or Bertholdt? They couldn't be kept apart.

Erwin brought the slip of paper out in front of him. "Eren Jaeger."

Sasha froze. Eren had been another boy from her school, though she had never gotten to know him well. Though he certainly did have a temper, he was also incredibly loyal to his friends. He certainly did not deserve to be sent off to die.

Eren stepped forward, clear to see even in a large crowd.

No, Sasha thought. No, no, no, please no.

Eren's mother would be devastated.

A familiar hand was raised, though this time it was not to answer a teacher's question. "I volunteer." Mikasa's blood red scarf flowed slightly in the wind. Her dark hair flowed with the wind as well, blocking Sasha from seeing her eyes. "I volunteer as Tribute."

The silence returned, though Erwin had joined along. He stood straight and tall, his eyes on the other girl. Mikasa only drew closer, walking past Eren and Armin. Again, the stunned crowd parted to allow her through.

"Well," Erwin said once the steel eyed Mikasa got on stage, "this has never happened before. This is sure to be interesting." He grinned.

Sasha's stomach twisted. How could he possibly be happy about this?

They met eyes for one moment, Mikasa's eyes as hard as steel. She stood where Eren would have had she not volunteered for him.

But, Sasha thought, you don't deserve to die either, Mikasa.

"Congratulations, Shingashima District!" Erwin held his hands out towards both of them. "These two young women will be representing you and the one hundred and seventh annual Hunger Games!"

Her teacher certainly could not have calculated this, no matter how hard that she may have tried.


	2. Yet the Storm Still Comes

It wasn't the thunder that ultimately woke her up, but the lightning. A bright light flashed across the dark room, the lightning making it glow for a moment like the day time.

Just as soon as it appeared, it was gone, leaving Mikasa to sit up against her bed frame and clutch her blanket tightly to her chest alone. Her heart raced, the only sound that she could hear beyond thunder, the snores of those who shared her room, and the heavy patter of rain that never seemed to stop.

Perhaps the rain would dry and training could go on as usual in the morning. Sasha was going to graduate soon, so she would need to be prepared.

Being prepared meant that she had a better chance of escaping a Titan.

The titans, however, suddenly seemed very far away. They were probably hiding from the rain and lightning as well; it had to have some effect on them.

The longer that she stayed awake and listened to the rain beat down, the more that Sasha's eyes adjusted to the dark. Her stomach rumbled, though for once she could not be sure how she was hungry.

The kitchens are far away, Sasha thought. So, so far away.

Sasha could imagine the wet, slippery mud beneath her feet, and the ice cold rain covering her until she was soaked to the bone.

Back when she still lived in her village, she had usually went to her father when it stormed. He was bothered by them as well, having witnessed some of his friend's fall due to nature. They would sit up and talk, Sasha right beside him (even when she got older she would still cuddle close). If the storm went on for a very long time then her father would pull out some old cards, and they would play for a while.

Now, she didn't have her father. She was, after all, training to protect him from Titans. It was the least that she could do for him.

Without thinking, Sasha got out of bed. She dropped her blanket, though she was still cold. Trying to walk as quietly as she could (even though the wooden floorboards creaked beneath her feet), she made her way to the door.

She stopped for a moment, her hand only inches from the doorknob.

"Sasha?"

Sasha froze. Had she actually managed to wake someone up.

"Sasha, what's going on?"

Sasha turned. The dim light showed Mikasa, mostly covered by her blanket though Sasha could see that she was not wearing her usual red scarf.

"I'm sorry," Sasha muttered, looking down to the floor. "I just got woken up by the storm, and I stopped thinking from there."

That was as close to the truth as it seemed. Storms had a way of making the world change and become irregular.

For a moment, Mikasa was silent and Sasha was still, her eyes locked on the other girl.

"Come over," Mikasa said, raising up her blanket.

Sasha felt her cheeks burn.

What's going on? she thought.

Her feet, however, moved mechanically. Some part of her could not help but feel a little happy; were it not for the storm, then this would not be happening.

It was hard to fit two into Mikasa's small bed, but they managed. If Mikasa seemed bothered by them being so close that they touched, then she did not mention it.

"I," Sasha said, "I'm afraid of storms. They're just so loud and bright."

"You do not need to explain." Mikasa placed a hand on Sasha's shoulder.

Maybe, Sasha thought, I'm actually sleeping through the storm. This is a nice dream.

"I am going back to sleep." Mikasa rubbed Sasha's shoulder with her fingertips. "I hope that you will be able to do the same; being tired during training would be terrible."

"I know." Sasha closed her eyes, though she had no idea how long that it would actually take for her to fall asleep. "Thank you, Mikasa."

"You're welcome. Good night, Sasha."

"Good night to you, Mikasa." Her voice was just barely above a whisper.

When Sasha did fall asleep, she dreamed of a bread and vegetables, her father and her hunting, and a brave, kind, and beautiful girl.

When she woke up the next morning next to Mikasa, Sasha discovered that the storm had finally stopped.


	3. What's Done is Done

Ever since Sasha had devoted her life to slaying Titans, her life had been filled with pain. It wasn't that she hadn't felt pain before, or seen her friend's die before. Even before she started training to fight Titans, she had seen others die.

Still, there was a difference between watching someone die of hunger and watching someone else get eaten.

The childhood pains in her stomach, and weakness of breath left when she had more to eat. (There was always a little extra when more soldiers fell, but that pain only came after she ate.)

Every time a mission was completed and the troops were back behind the safety of the wall, she would count. Arithmetic had never been her strong suit, but she did it. On some days she would get a good number, the same one that she had during the last mission.

On those days, others died, but Sasha had not known them well. As she patted their backs and tried to give comfort, her mind would drift back to her friend's and squadmates.

She would wait and wait and wait for her father's letters, and then respond as soon as she could. If she was lucky, Sasha could write a letter quickly and with a grin on her face.

The taste of victory was sweet, covering her tongue and making her work all the more harder.

The sour taste of defeat made her head spin and sent the contents of her recent meal to the floor.

All the while, she hugged Mikasa tighter, and tried to not remind herself who the real risk taker was. Mikasa was the important one, the one that would be missed if she were gone.

Sasha? She only had a handful of people who would surely miss her.

At least one was Mikasa, who always returned Sasha's tight squeeze and let her cry into her red scarf.

When Sasha held her, felt her (and Mikasa was no illusion, no dream or memory), the pain lessened a little.


	4. Down the Family Tree - High School AU

Mikasa had never had a girlfriend who was quite as willing to introduce her to her parents as Sasha. Though Mikasa had met Annie's father back before their breakup, it had been on accident (still, Mr. Leonhardt had been quite a nice man). Sasha had already met and talked with Carla and Grisha a number of times, and certainly knew Eren well.

Sasha had shown her pictures of her father in the past, along with mentioning him in conversation. When she had brought up letting the two meet, her eyes had grown wider and lit up. Before, she had never found reason to say no to Sasha, and she had not changed that time.

Sasha lived a few blocks from school in a story, red brick home. The front yard looked as though it had been mowed within the last few weeks, an old looking tree stood tall in front of the house.

"He's really excited to have you over for dinner." Sasha adjusted her backpack. "I promise that he's a really nice guy."

"If he is anything like you then I'm sure that he will be."

Sasha had her key out, though the door was opened before she could even try and open it.

There was certainly a resemblance between the man at the door and Sasha. Both had the same nose, hair color (though Sasha's lacked the grey streaks), and facial build.

"Hello," he said, opening the door further. "You must be Mikasa. My daughter has spoken so highly of you."

Mikasa smiled. Walking forward, she held out her hand. "I'm very glad to meet you."

"Very glad to meet you? I thought you were Mikasa! Sasha, you gave me the wrong name." He chuckled to himself.

Sasha rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah Dad."

He chuckled again. "I'll let you two girls come in. My spaghetti and homemade garlic bread will be ready soon."

Sasha licked her lips. "Sweet!"

"That sounds wonderful." Mikasa said.

Once inside the Braus living room, Mikasa and Sasha took off and placed down their backpacks. From the kitchen came the sound of Mr. Braus whistling.

"So, what do you think? I promise that my dad is a good guy, even if most of the times his jokes stink."

Mikasa shrugged. "I think I like him. Besides, he tells better jokes than Grisha does."


	5. Fear Itself - High School AU

They had probably only been inside the haunted house for five minutes or less. Sasha's phone was kept firmly in her pocket (the rules stated, after all, for people to not turn on their phones while in the haunted house), and it was too dark to read her wrist watch. Only five minutes or so, and she still didn't know when they would be getting out.

Ahead of her, Sasha could make out the shadowy forms of Armin and Connie, and behind her she could hear the grumbling and footsteps of Eren and Jean. She could feel Mikasa's warm body next to her. Even before they had gone in, Sasha had looped her arm through Mikasa's own. Just standing in front of that haunted house, with its dim lights and dark curtains, had sent a shiver up Sasha's spine.

Once they had gotten inside, Sasha had expected for it to start out easy. Instead, she was jumped at by a hooded guy holding a knife, and Connie and Armin had been jumped by a shadowy figure. Sasha had screamed so loud that she was sure her father could have heard it in their small home across town.

Looking back, Sasha knew the knife was plastic, and the "blood" a bit too runny to be real blood - probably dyed red corn starch or even just dyed red water. That was the thing about haunted houses - they were supposed to be fun and fake.

Still, she couldn't help but be glad that Mikasa had un-looped their arms and instead kept a firm, protective grasp around Sasha's waist. She held her close, and Sasha had looped her own arm around Mikasa's hard, muscular waist.

Well, now that that's behind us, Sasha thought as they turned a dark corner, what's ahead?

Mikasa had given her a pamphlet for the house as week before, and Sasha had never once looked inside. Whenever she tried, she would freeze, and images of terrible things would come to her mind. In the end she had buried the pamphlet in the back of her backpack, behind her chemistry textbook and a pile of geometry worksheets.

Now that she thought about it, however, the haunted house wasn't as bad as she had originally imagined.

It was even worse.

Sasha took a deep breath in before exhaling. It was all fake - everything from the blood to the scares (made by hired actors who were probably very nice people when they took their masks off) to the empty spider webs that hung above their heads. Mikasa had paid for a date full of fake scares and a bit of fun - nothing more and nothing less.

At least we didn't get the front, Sasha reminded herself. Her eyes again landed on Armin and Connie's shadowy forms. Their hands were held together tightly, and the shorter Armin was slowly getting closer and closer to Sasha's best friend.

And just then, a person in a mask had appeared from the shadows and jumped at them. The two boys had jumped, and for a moment Sasha had almost thought that they were defying the laws of gravity. Connie screamed the loudest, and when he and his date hit the ground, they clutched each other tightly in a tight hug.

As if pleased by the two boys' screams, the masked person remained calm and unmoving as the next two sets of couples walked past.

The six friends continued forward. A dim light appeared, and Sasha again saw Mikasa's stoic face. Her thin lips were in a firm line and her eyes cold and looking straight forward. It probably had never changed; since they had come inside, Mikasa had been completely silent.

How big is this place? Sasha thought. The promised dinner (and hopefully a few kisses) afterwards had made Sasha accept the date. It was their third, and she guessed by then they were pretty serious.

If they were so serious that Mikasa asked her on some more dates, Sasha would make sure that it was not to a haunted house.

The dinner seemed far away, a distant dream of spaghetti and meatballs with greasy breadsticks.

Besides, if this got any worse Sasha doubted that she would be able to get any food down.

Why didn't we get the back? Sasha thought. Eren and Jean had gotten the best placement, even if Jean had been grumpy about it. It was really hard to believe that the guy had wanted to be in front!

The next scare wasn't quite as bad. As if to make sure there was a mixture of scares rather than just a bunch of jumps, the next scare was a person attached to the wall. Their eyes, which had a number of dark bags below them, were closed and face bloody. Next to them was a dark hooded man holding a knife, and looking as though he were trying to decide just where to stab them.

Maybe all this wouldn't be such a surprise if I had just read the pamphlet, Sasha thought. After a moment, she sighed. It's not like I can do anything about that now.

Admittedly, the sight before them was gruesome, but Sasha was detached from it. The dark hooded man seemed only interested in the person on the wall.

In the dim lighting, Sasha again saw Mikasa's cool, composed face. It was almost as if it were sculpted of marble.

Her father had offered to pick her up if something came up, though she couldn't think of calling him now. He had just meant it in general terms or in case something went wrong. Mikasa had picked her up that night, and her father was sure that she would drive her home later.

"Your knight in a rusted Lincoln has arrived," her father had said when Mikasa had pulled up to their house earlier that evening. She had come inside and chatted with her father for a few minutes. As he had waved the two girls off, he had winked at his daughter and shot her a thumbs up. "Sasha, this one is a keeper."

Just relax, she thought. Why bail a perfectly good date?

The six friends entered a pitch black hallway. Music from horror movies played, filling Sasha's ears. Sasha could see nothing but blackness. Even Mikasa, who was right beside her, was invisible in the darkness. It was only her firm touch that let Sasha knew that she was still there.

"Mikasa?" Sasha asked, her voice squeaking near the end. She had to raise her voice to be heard over the music.

"Hmmm?" Mikasa responded, breaking her earlier silence.

"Are you scared?" was what Sasha wanted to ask, but she merely bit her lip. After a moment, she continued speaking. "What do you think is up ahead?"

"I'm not sure." Mikasa paused for a moment. "I read about the attractions but never really looked at a map of the place."

"What's ahead," Connie broke in, his voice set in his usual humorous tone, "is our graves."

"As if," Jean replied. "They couldn't just actually kill a bunch of teenagers and expect to somehow get away with it."

"He's right," Armin added.

"I don't know." Connie replied. "What if they needed some new props for a murder scene? It would certainly be accurate."

Sasha shivered.

For a moment, all she heard were footsteps.

Sasha had expected Eren or Jean, even Armin, to make a response to that. Instead, Mikasa spoke once more in her monotone voice.

"If they try to kill us, then we'll fight back. You can't win if you don't fight, and I don't think anyone wants to lose."

Everyone was quiet after that.

Mikasa squeezed the side of Sasha's waist, and Sasha squeezed Mikasa's in turn.

The next scares were everywhere from squeamish, shocking, and scream producing. Whether it was haunted dolls, the Grim Reaper, or armed axe murderers, something was always waiting for them.

It wasn't until near the end when things really changed. Mikasa's scream rang through Sasha's ears long after she had silenced and they had run away from the man with the chainsaw.

In the next dark hallway, no music played. Everyone was silent, and their footsteps seemed just a bit too loud.

"It's okay, Mikasa," Sasha said. Her own heart was still racing, and sweat stained her arms, forehead, and the back of her neck. She pulled the taller girl into a tight, warm hug. "I've got you, and I won't let anything bad happen to you."

Mikasa returned the hug, and for a moment the haunted house and their other friends faded away. Warmth enveloped Sasha, and it was only then that she was truly glad to have accepted Mikasa's offer for that night's date.

They pulled apart before Sasha wrapped her hand around Mikasa's waist once more. The six friends continued forward once more, heading towards the small light at the end of the pitch black hallway.


	6. Frost

Winter was the worst of times. It could span on for months. Harsh winds and snow would cover the land, trapping people in a land of white.

When the cold months came, her energy dropped. Sasha threw away more half finished letters to her father than usual.

The wind bit at her skin.

At first she didn't notice Mikasa moving closer to her. The red scarf was a faint warmth, and only when their bodies were pushed together did Sasha notice the other girl.

They must have looked like a shock of red, two soldiers fighting against the cold's fury.


	7. A Day of Hearts - Modern AU

Valentine's Day seemed to have snuck up on Mikasa that year. It wasn't until she was at school, only half awake and belly rumbling, that she realized what day it was.

A Tuesday, Mikasa thought as she grabbed books from her locker. She groaned. Why couldn't it be a Friday? Even a Thursday, because at least it was better than a Tuesday.

It took Sasha shoving a red, heart shaped box into her hands for her to realize just what a special day that Tuesday was.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Sasha said, throwing her hands into the air and jumping. Her eyes were wide, her ponytail was flying, and she actually looked like she had gotten sleep the night before. Just as quickly as the box was in Mikasa's hands, Sasha leaned forward and pulled Mikasa into a tight hug.

Mikasa blinked. "Happy Valentine's Day." She could only return the hug with one arm, the other holding the box.

It was only when Sasha released the hug that Mikasa really woke up. As happy as Sasha looked, her holiday cheer and gift were a slap in the face, a reminder that Mikasa hadn't gotten Sasha anything. No card, teddy bear, or rose. No anything.

For a moment, the two simply stared at each other, both still and silent. Mikasa was still cradling the red box to her chest, and Sasha was still wide eyed and smiling.

"So," Mikasa said, her eyes looking at everything but her girlfriend, "can I open the box now?"

Sasha nodded. "Of course!"

Mikasa opened the box slowly. Hopefully, the warning bell would ring and she could scurry off. She and Sasha only shared afternoon classes together, so that would give her some time to prepare.

The box, however, seemed to have already been opened. There was no tape or glue on it, and it easily came apart in her hands.

Inside were sweet smelling chocolates. Mikasa's mouth watered and her stomach grumbled again. It wouldn't be the healthiest breakfast, but it would certainly be better than nothing.

"Wait," Mikasa said, scanning over the chocolates. Most were still inside, but a few were gone. In their place were empty wrappers. "Sasha, I think you need to return this to the store. They look to have already been eaten."

"Oh," Sasha replied. Her cheeks turned red and she looked to the ground. "That's my fault actually." She laughed, though the tone was lower than usual. With the way that she was looking down, it seemed more like she was laughing at her shoes or something on the ground. "I got a little hungry. Sorry about that, Mikasa." Her voice squeaked near the end. Wordlessly, she grabbed her books from where they lay on the floor and quickly scampered off.

* * *

"Hot date tonight, huh?" Eren asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Mikasa rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you could say that." She clutched the red teddy bear tighter to her chest.

"I thought I would've known sooner. You usually plan these things weeks ahead."

"It was a bit of a surprise for both of us. We only decided on doing it over our lunch period today." Mikasa looked her brother in the eye. "So, do I look alright?"

Eren nodded. "With a look like that, Sasha could just eat you up."

Mikasa's face turned as red as the stuffed bear she had gotten Sasha's fur.

"And knowing how most Valentine's dates go, that just might be how it turns out."

Mikasa stiffened. "Like I would tell you if that happened."

Eren stuck out his tongue. "Like I would want to know!"

Mikasa smirked. "You were the one who brought it up." Mikasa checked her wrist watch. "I should get going. I promised to pick Sasha up. Have fun at the house alone."

"I will," Eren replied.

Carla and Grisha had left for their own romantic date, to a restaurant Mikasa couldn't even dream of affording with only her job at the local hamburger place and her weekly allowance.

All the way to the car, Mikasa squeezed the bear tighter. She had only bought it a few hours before, just after school ended, and already she could imagine Sasha's face once Mikasa gave it to her. It wasn't quite like bringing her roses, but she was sure that Sasha would love it just the same.

* * *

Sasha had clung to the bear the entire night, never letting it go. From the time she left her house (waving goodbye to her father), to the time they spent in the car, and finally when they arrived at the restaurant, she had held the bear close to her chest. Only when she went to use the bathroom did she lay it down in her chair, with a quick pat on the head before she left.

If anyone asked, Mikasa would say it was the cutest thing in the world.

Thankfully, no one else in the restaurant seemed interested.

Mikasa absently chewed on her dinner. They had often to simply go to a buffet. With the wide variety of choices and cheap prices, both girls got exactly what they wanted. Sasha, admittedly, had grabbed a few more plates than Mikasa had.

On one of Sasha's plates was a still untouched piece of golden brown turkey. Mikasa's mouth watered at the sight. Sasha had gotten the last of it.

With all the bravery Mikasa could muster, she reached forward and grabbed it.

Splitting food was romantic, right?

"Mikasa?"

Mikasa froze mid chew.

"Mikasa, what are you doing?" Sasha sat back down. The bear sat absently in her lap.

"I," Mikasa said. She swallowed her food. "I can explain."

Sasha raised an eyebrow.

"I got hungry. I did what you did earlier and pulled a Sasha." Before she could reply, Mikasa ate another bite of the turkey.

"Would you mind sharing the rest with me?" Sasha's shoulders lowered and her smile returned.

Mikasa held the food forward. "You can have the rest."

With one hand, Sasha ate the turkey, and with the other she began to pet the top of her bear's head.


End file.
